in a rut
it seems that no matter how many people i’ve met, there will always be those that just shock me. many say that this post (and this one, i can’t tell which is worse) shouldn’t be all that shocking, but i’m simply hysterical with just that : shock.
i’ve spent my entire life around people who’ve done and felt many strange things, people who’ve known other strange people and people who’ve experienced things that most of us never will. largely because of this, i suppose, i learnt early on that there is nothing that perfectly normal people aren’t capable of. but still, as much as i hear about the worlds disillusionment with itself all the time, as much as i hear and see people who are blissfully blind to a lot of harsh realities, there are still a few that manage to turn my head, and my stomach.
this guy seems to think that we all need to join hands in helping the poor homosexuals, the damn mislead sinners. sigh, what a pity. this guy not only insists over and over again that he does not hate homosexuals, oh no, but he only feels that they are sick freaks that need to be treated and ‘put right’. i especially detest the part where he compares homosexuals to drug addicts and claims that, just like drug addicts, they can and need to be reformed. he says further, that same sex marriages are abnormal and children shouldn’t be exposed to same sex parents.
as much as i call people like these bigots, i suppose in my own way, i am one too, because understanding people who think like that honestly is simply beyond me.
we’re still stuck in a rut, folks. homophobia is as bad as racism or facism or totalitarianism. its hurtful and regressive and destructive. it harms everyone; those that it’s directed at and those that it’s felt by. we shout about how we’ve come so far. we can clone animals and cure diseases and send rockets into space, but we cannot for the life of us accept those who choose differently from us. we live in an era of youtube and revolution, of poverty and war, of rapid progression and still many more problems, and we can’t deal with the simplest of things long enough to focus on the bigger issues. we want world peace and togetherness but we can’t stand those that sleep with someone of the same sex.
we try so hard to promote feelings of understanding and accpetance. we go out of our way to let those that have spent aeons being marginalized know that it’s ok now. but it’s not. we support them to come out of the closet in hope that they can live free and fruitful lives like the rest of us, but we’re helping them come out into a world of stagnation and moral righteousness, into a world where we still think god hates gays and into a world where there’s people that want to ’save’ them, not support them.
who gave anyone the right to tell someone else what to do, what to choose? who gave anyone the right to stop someone else from choosing, no matter how uniquely they choose? who gave anyone the right to define normality in a world of constant change? who gave anyone the right to stand on a moral high horse and not only condemn, but pity those that are different?
homosexuality is nothing new, true sri lankan. it’s been around since the beginning of time. go read up on your history. no one ever needed to be ’saved’ from it. they didn’t need it then, and they don’t need it now.
it’s not some disease. it’s something that makes millions out there happy, whole, complete. so what bit you?
gays should be put on an island and then it should be bombed
Comment by Saddam — November 16, 2006 @ 6:05 pm
i’m gay
Comment by sittingnut — November 16, 2006 @ 6:20 pm
Sittingnut - if that is you - great kudos and great time to come out of the closet - well done!
electra - again, what’s with the word hysterical and you this week? You might as well swear - use another word for this fool.
Sri Lankan society is sooooooo gayyyyyyyy it’s not funny. But just as everyone pretends that most Sinhalese people are not racist towards Tamils, most Sri Lankans completely deny homosexuality - it’s pathetic. 40% of the countries tourism exists only because of the homosexual tourist industry.
Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans are quite frankly a nation in denial. It stinks. I work and know homosexuals - it’s something that doesn’t even occur to me as a measurement of judgement of character. My parents may not have been exposed to this but thank God they taught me not to be a bigoted, racist, homo-phobe. My life is better for it - let me tell you.
I would not want to be anybody else apart from someone who was born of Ceylonese Tamil parents who thought they could leave Celyon for a while until the “riots” settled down, the government would change, peace would return and then come back. Well they couldn’t so they became nomads and through this process learnt to be tolerant and accepting of others. But it is facists in Sri Lanka that taught them the most. Thank God they passed it onto me. I never look at homosexuals and squirm like the “True” Sri Lankan does.
And all because Sri Lankans just cannot and will not accept what an appalling lie they live every single day about what is going on in the four corners of their country. The denial is what I loathe.
Now, whilst we are on the subject of denial, electra and hysteria - got any comment on the first man to die of starvation in Jaffna?
Comment by ashanthi — November 17, 2006 @ 1:20 am
%^&%^%%^&(
and more to the point …. I ask “hysterically” whilst I sit thousands of miles away …. what are you going to do about it???
Comment by ashanthi — November 17, 2006 @ 1:21 am
I had somehow completely missed out on this discussion. It is, like many people had said, appalling to see such narrow mindedness not just from one person but from others who appear to agree with him.
One thing I noticed from his entries was that he has never been friends with, been acquainted with or/and been around a homosexual individual let alone a homosexual couple. That is why his views don’t seem to go further nor deeper than the stereotype homosexual one sees in chic flicks.
And like sittingnut said somewhere, it is a proven fact that all so called straight people have a bi-sexual streak in them.
Sexual orientation is not black and white like true sri lankan seems to think.
Comment by sach — November 17, 2006 @ 4:36 am
In a way condescending sympathy is worse than just homophobia (which is usually just fear of the unknown)…I can imagine those colonial types twittering over us poor brownies in a similar way.
Umm…to the closet loonytune, homophobia is hardly limited to Sri Lanka. I live in San Francisco, the gay capital of probably the world but I still come across homophobia surprisingly frequently. I mean just look at how gay marriage was such a flashpoint in the last equation.
At least South Africa is allowing same sex marriage, kinda unexpected but very heartening.
Comment by N — November 17, 2006 @ 6:11 am
Jesus chirst Ashathi must the race card be played in every bloody thread of yours?
“Well they couldn’t so they became nomads and through this process learnt to be tolerant and accepting of others.”
Bullshit they are as bigoted as the next person and tend to retain their antiquated notions about life both in and out of Sri Lanka - don’t even get me started on their views on homosexuality and mixed marriages…
“40% of the countries tourism exists only because of the homosexual tourist industry”
Again I call bullshit…
As far as I’m concerned to each his own… I left this quote by Paul Newman on Indi’s blog but I think more people thinking in this matter can never be a bad thing:
“I’m a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being… by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”
Comment by T — November 17, 2006 @ 6:54 am
i don’t think denial is an exclusively sri lankan thing, and i daresay we’re actually better off than some countries. i don’t think we can limit homophobia to sri lankans. we have started small, so small in fact that it’s barely visible, but its there. accpetance and even support is growing.
-Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans are quite frankly a nation in denial-
i dont agree. it is there, but its not as rampant as it used to be, and positive attitudes towards homosexuality are definitely increasing in numbers and crossing boundaries of class and social status. this can only continue happening through education and the constant and public condemnation of homophobia. like i said, i am to believe that sri lanka is a lot more accepting in general than some other countries (mainly south asian and middle eastern).
-I would not want to be anybody else apart from someone who was born of Ceylonese Tamil parents who thought they could leave Celyon for a while until the “riots” settled down, the government would change, peace would return and then come back.-
what does this have to do with anything on this post?
like i said, its upto the few of us to spread feelings of acceptance and goodwill. change a mind every turn you get, educate someone every opportunity you get. declare your acceptance of homosexuality openly and publicly and dont be afraid or ashamed to.
this year, with colombo’s first gay pride ever, we saw many people come together to show their solidarity and support for the cause. next year, hopefully, we’ll see colombo as safe enough to have a gay pride march in. and later, hopefully too, it won’t be just colombo that’s involved, but the whole of sri lanka, and every homosexual will lead lives of freedom and dignity.
Comment by electra — November 17, 2006 @ 7:07 am
i suppose i ought to signal my support to ur views electra an similar thinkers, good on u! it gives us some hope…after having removed the total freedom to post comments on my blog because of racists and total morons, who r probably the same homophobic/racists/ignorant ppl which u can read about in the blogs involved in this current topic, it’s good to see someone has decent, educated, ideas out there.
what is right and wrong is up to the individual, society cahnges, 2000 yrs ago and more, loads of things were right which we consider wrong today. great civilizations, egyptians, greek, chinese, latin etc etc performed the most abominable rites/laws/sacrifices/religoius beliefs which today are against the law even or have been banned. were they right, were there wrong? i dunno, htey just were. maybe like today LGBs cannot be considered right or wrong, thay just are. slowly they will get rights, as they have been doing, and they will b considered in the end as normal by society. these bigots are liek the ones “exporting” democracy to foreign countries, just coz they have a dictator or their society is different and they do stuff which is abominable to us, doesnt always mean its abominable to them. who r we to tell them how to live? or to change them? who has the “correct” moral standard? which is the correct moral standard anyway???
ppl should just mind their own business, protect minorities, it’s in many countries’ constitution, and let ppl do what they want (within the laws) and if the laws arent “just” at that given time,slowly they will change. it has always happened (apartheid, divorce, homosexuality, religious freedom etcetcetcet). just wait, it’s not gonna happen tmoro,impove education system, protect minorities, fight for rights, protest, oppose racism and similar attitudes, point them out to as many ppl as u can, get involved politically (?!!) if u feel like it, these r the ways to “improve” societies imo and to slowly eradicate these moronic ideas from society. target their children! give THEM a good education, exposure to the “different”, options in life, the parents who write this rubbish will expire eventually, the kids will survive tho’! and as they grow with different ideas, society will be more open, just, respectful. in turn they will educate their own children the same way…..
unfortulately there is a saying in italian, which goes: “the mother of idiots is always pregnant!”. there will always b this kind of ppl, but u can gradually reduce the numbers by showing the future generations that those beliefs are not the standards of their society. make them become “old-fashioned”, they will expire like yoghurt and THEY will b condemned as some sort of weird relic from the past.
Comment by galleblogger — November 17, 2006 @ 7:11 am
so the pride parade went ahead after all? Any pics online…curious to see how it compared to the SF one I went…
Comment by N — November 17, 2006 @ 4:23 pm
we didn’t have a parade ; but there was a lot of other nice stuff going on over a whole week.
Comment by electra — November 17, 2006 @ 6:04 pm
Your concern is heartening, but you have contradicted yourself as it is obvious that you have already judged “true sri lankan” for his post on homosexuals. He is probably someone who is a bit mislead and means well, but just has a bunch of silly beliefs ingrained via religion, peers, upbringing or whatever. I am not trying to say his viewpoint is correct, but just that by not understanding he has a right to his viewpoint you WILL prejudice him against, “the few of us” who “spread feelings of acceptance and goodwill”.
Just because you don’t like his views does not mean he is not entitled to them. But, does he not deserve your acceptance as well? Maybe eventually he will come round one day. You need the courage to change what you cannot accept and accept what you cannot change and all that.
@ “N” patronising people are better than homophobes? You’re definitely not gay are you? Take it from me, I’d rather have someone patronise me than punch me in the face for being gay.
Comment by A Gay Observer — November 18, 2006 @ 12:48 am
Jesus chirst Ashathi must the race card be played in every bloody thread of yours?
Actually “T” this comment is about denial and general all round bigorty as far as I’m concerned and how pathetic Sri Lankans are of taking criticism.
I recall Indi crapping on in the same way many moons ago about how I always raise the “race card”. If you have so got your head in the sand that you don’t think race is an issue or bigotry towards practicallly everyone in Sri Lanka unless they are male, Sinahlese and a member of the SLFP or JVP at the moment, (including if they are gay) then … you the rest of your comment is not worth reading - and I won’t bother.
Let me know if you think Sri Lankans have a penchant for persecuting and anyone and everyone for no good reason. I briefly skimmed through electra’s response and she came up with how Sri Lankans are no more or less bigotted or racist than any other race.
I think this is a point to debate but in her haste to argue with me she’s forgotten that most of the civilized world doesn’t lie about homosexuality in thier society anymore, nor do they expect people who get arrested to sign statements in a police station in a language they’ve never used, nor are they segregated at birth from attending school with each other based on the race and language.
This, is the difference between Sri Lanka and most of the world - we still practice state-sanctioned aparthied.
And that comment about “becareful about using the word genocide” - well excuse me, so sorry for throwing a bit more reality in your faces. I suppose the TTT will be knows for suicide bombing and the GOSL will be know for genocide and you’ll all be pleased as punch because it had nothing to do with us. All fair and square yeah?
No - maybe that’s how the balance of power is played out in Sri Lanka - but it’s a lot more complex out here. There’s a lot more people you have to answer to.
Comment by ashanthi — November 18, 2006 @ 4:03 am
a gay observer : you are, essentially, right. but this isn’t a perfect world. as much as he is entitled to his views, i am entitled to disgareeing with his views using mine. i don’t and cannot agree with what he says and believes and therefore believe it is my right to disprove his beliefs publicly using my own, hoping only to change things for the greater good.
i don’t see why we always defend those that we know need not be defended. sure, he may have religious beliefs that shaped his way of thinking, or perhaps he had a conservative, typically sri lankan upbringing that did so. but so what? of course, i don’t expect anyone to change their minds overnight, but we’re all adults here, and are solely responsible for our opinions and actions. after reaching a certain age, it becomes no longer possible to blame or to credit someone’s upbringing for their views on life ; he has, as an adult, obviously made a choice to feel this way and THAT is what my problem is with. he has made no effort, despite fairly blatant publicity increasing on the issue more and more, to think beyond what his childhood taught him and as an adult, has made no attempt to freshen or review his thoughts on life via education and awareness.
we’re all taught certain moral absolutes as children, by our parents, by our schools, by our religions. but as we approach an older age where we are more able to comprehend life independently, we must all make a choice with every path we choose to take, despite what we thought of the same things as children. a lot of my beliefs have changed since i was little, hell, a lot of them have changed since two years ago. i’m constantly learning more and i’m eager to adopt new and broader frames of mind that think both liberally and fairly. i want to be able to think and speak for myself.
thank you for your comment. i am always inspired by those that are more tolerant than i am! kudos to you.
ashanthi : please post comments relevant to the thread. perhaps your comment belongs on the earlier post? i think we need to stop trying to make everything so political. i wrote this post with a change of topic in mind, hoping that we could be as rampant as we are about politics, on a different but equally important issue.
Comment by electra — November 18, 2006 @ 5:43 pm
gay observer: my bad I should have been a bit clearer on what I meant by homophobia…I didnt mean it in the strictly physical sense but rather just hatred…I’ve had people be racist to me while other people have been condescending to me….I personally have been more pissed towards the latter….but point taken a pop in the face is worse than a bit of condescension….
Comment by N — November 19, 2006 @ 1:37 am
Thanks for your compliments.
For some, being gay is a choice. They are able to derive physical and emotional pleasure in the company of both sexes. In that sense, you could say there is a choice in the matter. For some people who are homosexual, sexual activity with the opposite sex is neither desirable, or in some cases repulsive, the same applies to some heterosexuals.
Perhaps this person finds homosexuality repulsive and chooses to rationalise this thought by blaming it on a mental disorder on the parts of those indulging in it. We do not know if this is true about this individual or not.
We choose to justify our viewpoints on some things that are abhorrent in two ways to the best of my knowledge. We feel it is an inadequacy in ourself, or project them outwards by blaming someone else for it. But where does the inadequacy really lie? For example, a lot of people find the thought of their parents making love disgusting, but does that mean the act is wrong? Maybe this person feels that disgust when he thinks about homosexuality? So does this mean we are intolerant because we feel disgust at the thought of our parents making love?
In the end, can we conclusively prove that homosexuality is not a mental or physical disease? For that matter, can we prove that heterosexuality is not a disease? Until that day, all I can do is accept that people who judge me mentally or physically abnormal exist, but as long as they do not impede my progress in this world I am willing to accept that they are entitled to their beliefs. What I would suggest to you is that rational argument would be more succesful in winning this person over to your cause rather that indignant condemnation.
Comment by A Gay Observer — November 19, 2006 @ 1:32 pm
a gay observer : homosexuality and heterosexuality are simply ways of life, they’ve been in existence for much longer than any record of history can account for. i doubt either of them are mental diseases. a disease implies that you need to be cured, that it is harmful to you and those around you. i see no way in which heterosexuality or homosexuality are unhealthy to anyone, and therefore the logical conclusion is that they are not diseases. of course, they are states of mind. whether you are in love with a man or a woman, being in love itself is a state of mind, but not a disease of the mind since it has proved to be completely innocuous.
i understand that some people find homosexuality difficult to accept, due to whatever convictions they have about life, and i see tolerating that as an acceptance of THAT denial. by bearing his intolerance, or anyone else’s, i see myself missing an opportunity to change someone’s mind, to turn someone from ignorance to understanding. the more we ‘learn to live with’ this lack of acceptance and condescension, the more we are helping to make room for that to grow.
of course he impedes your progress in this world. not him alone, of course, but figuratively speaking, those that bear resemblances to his opinion on your sexual orientation. there are enough people who feel the way he does out there to hinder your course of freedom and life completely, again figuratively speaking, not just you, but others that are homosexual. there are those that discriminate, those that will not give you a job, those that will not take your child into a school, those that will hold you back from development because they think you’re ‘disgusting’.
we only think the thought of parents having sex is disgusting because we’re shy; we’re shy to admit that the two perennial influences in our life are engaging in what we think to be an teenage activity in their old age. as much as it ‘grosses us out’, we’re not in actual denial about it. we aren’t about to stop them from having sex, nor are we about to publicly claim that we think they are disgusting for having sex. we’re not going to hate them or think any less of them as humans. this is why this differs from homophobia. its not a relevant example.
some people (people who think like the true sri lankan) see you as GAY, and nothing else. it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, whether you’re a saint or a killer, if you’re homosexual, that’s all you are to them. simply, gay. that’s what defines your entire personality to them. hence, they will not bother looking beyond your ‘unusual’ sexual orientation, they will judge you immediately, in a way they would not with a heterosexual. this is what discrimination is, in its essence, and this is what we need to stop the spread of.
the true sri lankan is being deliberately superior and sanctimonius, and he’s only the face for us bloggers of an entire world of people that feel that way. like i always say, i only speak for myself, and true enough, my arguments become diluted in my emotions sometimes and become incoherent. i apologize for this. i am not trying to be the defender of you or other homosexuals, i am merely stating my opinion.
i stand by my thought that acceptance is a way of support : if we accept homophobia, it will only continue to exist. and everyone’s homophobia is not as mild or as passive as the true sri lankans is.
Comment by electra — November 19, 2006 @ 4:59 pm
I still don’t think he is a homophobe, just misled. You would also be surprised at what can “logically” or medically be classified as a disease. For example, you mentioned love. You crave the company of that person, you constantly think about that person, and you behave in certain ways and feel a sort of euphoria around them. These symptoms are common in drug addiction, OCD and some personality disorders, but does this mean that being in love means you have one of these disorders? If you were to follow logic, the answer would be yes.
If this person were given license to capture, poke and prod homosexuals to find out what was wrong with them, then that would be a different matter, but so far, what he has done is set out his viewpoint. He feels that homosexuality is a mental condition, and we are not yet at a point where we can scientifically disprove that. Using the same argument, we can also say that heterosexuality is a mental condition, but to him it is irrelevant, as it is the “norm” as far as he is concerned. Perhaps he is myopic with regards to homosexuality, but perhaps he is further along than a lot of us with regards to other issues, eg: social welfare, interracial relationships, economic policy etc.
Have you evaluated what it makes you when you lump him into the category of gay-haters/homophobes? Now you can only see him as a “gay-hater”. Which could logically mean that you and he have a category in common, except he falls into a more specific sub-category than you do. Maybe he is a compassionate human being about things that he does understand, for example, he could have given millions of dollars to orphans and such, but his opinion regarding homosexuality makes it so that he is unable to feel the same compassion for them. In any case, by condemning him as a homophobe will not win over any support for your cause.
Ultimately, all I’m trying to say is I think gentle argument would be more likely to win him to your side rather than vehement denouncement. This is your blog and I am not telling you what you should or shouldn’t do on it. I am just offering some unsought advice on a possible method you could use in dealing with people like the “true sri lankan”. Many thanks for your replies and best wishes for your future, this has been an interesting event in my otherwise lazy weekend.
Comment by A Gay Observer — November 19, 2006 @ 6:03 pm
Psso set ekak! Come Join me! In my pissu loke!
Comment by Pissa — November 21, 2006 @ 8:03 am
“she’s forgotten that most of the civilized world doesn’t lie about homosexuality in thier society anymore”
Now who’s got their head in the sand Ashanthi…
No one can deny that bigotry and racial inequality exists in Sri Lanka in as much as no one can deny its existence elsewhere (’civilized’ nation or otherwise). It’s a problem that unfortunately has become part and parcel of our way of life and it cannot change overnight. It is however heartening to know that there is a growing body of individuals that recognizes its existence and are actively changing their own attitudes/perspectives about it… it’s something that does take time though. The time it takes is obviously is frustrating to you Ashanthi.. so just imagine what it feels like for us who actually live here and have to deal with it often… sometimes daily.
The thing is you just don’t keep you posts relevent to the topic… and even then you appear ill informed, bigoted and racist.
Comment by T — November 21, 2006 @ 2:24 pm
TTT - you’re not a tamil terrorist tigr are you…
Are you saying that being a Homsexual is a problem …. dingbat?
A growing body of individual Sinahlese persons …. such as e;ectra who care ,….deeply and speak out in muted tones about .. these diadvantaged people … it’s fab … really .
But -bottom line is - she’s a brat. and rides on other peoples tails and can’t be accountable, told or do anything anyway.
In meantime - if I dare say the word genocide -she doesn’t want to hear it. And that would be because she has all the information but none of the humility. It shows rights across the board. Electra is just a representative. When some rampaging racist Sinhala soldier posted between Jaffna and Batti goes and wrecks havoc because the one boy he ever loved gone blow to smithereens whilst they were trying to picky a Tamil school boy on his way home from tuition … what does electra know about this. Nothing. The things - when this gets played out in the courts - it does not reveal the true facts of the matter. How could it. No-one in the army is going to reveal anything. No one in the ltte is going to acknowledge anyting. The parents of this boy don’t even know what homosexuality means. So - we have a victime of victims of victims.
Now - I suppose madam, electra is probalby going to write some admonishing post directed at me about - her version of good behaviour on ze bolgz … well guess what - I think I raise a few issues here and they go like this…
with respect to homosexuality in sri-lanka. - it has been more of a closeted privilidge than a honest reality. The country hides some of the most influential people in it’s political dynasties. What I tried to say was that electra is a product of this society. She really has no idea - we see that from her choice of friends and I see it from the fact that I’m Tamil and she has NO respect WHATSOEVER for my feelings about matters. Apart from giving me a lecture about - dont’ post that here - it belongs there.
Then there was the crap about how talking about gay issues was …not political… how she’d indulged her littel arse in … something beyone and above the fucking shit she lives in… poor thing. She has to do that for us - otherwise it will be kottu, kottu, kottu…
Here’s the deal - this moron - named electra - things that gay rights were earned by not being political…
Morq - and mother of Morq - let me apologise now. I’m so angry that I have spoken my mind about this brat. She’s your’s and you love her - as only you can.
I don’t love her and thats because she is such a fucking fence sitter. An arrogant one at that.
So - we went to the same school.I went when it was a good school and even if we were segregated by race we still knew who all our teachers were.
Poor electra - she didn’t even know that Raviraj’s wife was one of the Tamil teachers at her school.
I spent so much of time with a Sihalese nun who was the Headmistress of Holy Family Convenant talking about religon. We were playing cricket one day - I was in the English medim of course - and some bullying idiot - Sinhalese of course - put the ball through her office window. She then said to me - “you go ask her for the ball, she likes you”. I said “No”. Then other girls said - “C’mon - you’ve got to do it AND - YOU HAVE TO SAY SORRY!!!!
So - the headmistress of the HFC primary school was an amazing girl. She was young, Sinhalese and I loved her. No, not in that way. I loved her because - you could just see she had been through soooo much. She was my absolute mentor.
Anyway - when I walked into her office on the Primary school side of HFC in Babalapitya - with shattered glass all around her and asked for the ball - she gave it to me. She was not happy, but she did not blame me for being the messanger.
Therein lies your message Electra - don’t shoot me down.
So - I did and I said “I’m sorry” but I didn’t say “We’re sorry” - cause they obviously weren’t!!!
So- for NGO’s of there offspring - we know what you’re doing - but you need to do more. That’sal folks.
Sorry - have to watch telly now - lol…
Comment by ashanthi — November 22, 2006 @ 1:50 pm
I do apolzise most of al for try to be lyric but fail so far..
Well anyway- i ‘m sure if any of you want clarification - you will let me know … :-= chipmunks.
One can only by cheerful when you’re oppressed and deprived a litle like the irish — que sera sera …
Comment by ashanthi — November 22, 2006 @ 1:57 pm
Err.. ok - I’ve just read that comment and it was an indulgence - but hey … what can I say apart from sorry
you deserve it electra.
T - this I promise you and myslef is that last bloody time I indulge in a conversation with an anon - I know, I know,I know I used to be one - BUT - you take the cake!
I’m frustrated about “how long it is taking for middle class sinhala to stop the killing” … ? Frustraing do you think after 50 years? No
- not frustrated just aware that you never will and you never have.
Get yourself a blog id “T” and then talk.
Comment by ashanthi — November 22, 2006 @ 2:05 pm
ashanthi : i can’t clear up many of your pre conceived notions about me now, i think it’s too late and you’ve gotten your mind made up.
but let me calrify a few things, just a few.
-rides on other peoples tails and can’t be accountable, told or do anything anyway.- i don’t think so. i try my best not to ‘ride on other people’s tails’ and i do believe i do as much as i quite possibly can. and that’s enough, for now, because it’s all i can do. i want an education, i want my experiences, so that in ten years, when i say the same things (only in a more informed way) people like you won’t be able to dispute it by resorting to the lack of my current age and hence, accountability.
-Electra is just a representative.- i’m NOT, i’m not. i don’t represent anything or anyone but myself. nor can i claim to.
-what does electra know about this. Nothing.- please don’t assume, ashanthi. just because i don’t address every single issue and every single problem on this blog, it doesn’t mean i don’t know and i don’t care. this blog is not about making a political commentary. i’m not a political blogger like morq is. sometimes i make a post about it, just like i would make a post about anything else. again, you don’t know me beyond this blog so don’t assume ’she doesn’t know, she doesn’t care’ simply because you don’t see the information and concern on this blog.
-Poor electra - she didn’t even know that Raviraj’s wife was one of the Tamil teachers at her school.- i don’t think you have the liberty to address this issue AT ALL. mrs raviraj and praveena are, respectively, his wife and daughter. i participated in the annual shakespeare drama competition this year; i was the stage manager, praveena was lord capulet. she’s a few years younger than i am, and i was assigned to work with her personally on her characterization. in the end, she was brilliant. of course i know mrs raviraj. how could i not, tamil medium teacher or not? why, she’s the mother of my friend. a mother who fed us night after night during late rehearsal with great home cooked food. a mother who went with us to get our hair and make up done, right before the finals. a mother who made last minute changes to our costumes and props. a mother who came day after day to pick praveena up. don’t be a bitch ashanthi, it’s unnecessary. yes i failed to put two and two together and figure out that the raviraj who’d been shot was THAT raviraj, husband to mrs raviraj, father to dear old praveena. i wasn’t watching the news then, i missed a few details. yes, i assumed, naturally, that there were more than one family of raviraj’s. silly of me perhaps, but a sincere mistake.
-she did not blame me for being the messanger. Therein lies your message Electra- i don’t ’shoot down’ anyone. especially those that are merely trying to convey something, the job of a messenger. i don’t shoot you down because you’re a messenger, but you shoot me down because i’m a child.
Comment by electra — November 23, 2006 @ 8:15 am